INDYCAR Power Rankings: Scott McLaughlin Big Mover After St. Pete

If these rankings are skewed a little bit toward street-course prowess, well, the 2026 INDYCAR season so far has consisted of one street course.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s street course, road course, short oval or big oval, Alex Palou has been dominant as of late.

The three-time defending series champion captured the 2026 opener at the Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. Here are my rankings after the first competition of the 18-race season:

Dropped out: Alexander Rossi (Last Week: 9); Felix Rosenqvist (Last Week: 10)

On the verge: Felix Rosenqvist, David Malukas, Rinus VeeKay

10. Marcus Armstrong (Last Week: Not Ranked)

Armstrong started seventh and finished 11th after some dicey moments and strategy didn’t work out the best for him. But overall, it was a respectable weekend for the Meyer Shank driver, and he finished ahead of his teammate Felix Rosenqvist so that gets him a spot on this list.

9. Will Power (Last Week: 6)

Power had a forgettable debut weekend with Andretti Global, but any teething moments likely will be short-lived. And going to Phoenix for the next race should be good for him.

8. Marcus Ericsson (Last Week: Not Ranked)

Ericsson started second and finished sixth. The former F1 driver and Indy 500 winner needed a good start to 2026 after a frustrating 2025. Andretti Global brass had to be happy with his St. Pete performance.

7. Scott Dixon (Last Week: 5)

A wreck in practice and then a wheel falling off the car during the race was certainly uncharacteristic for Dixon and Chip Ganassi Racing. Certainly they will expect much more moving forward.

6. Josef Newgarden (Last Week: 7)

After an awful qualifying where he ended up 23rd, Newgarden rallied to finish seventh at St. Pete. That will make him feel good about the potential for his 2026 season at Team Penske.

5. Pato O’Ward (Last Week: 2)

O’Ward failed to make the Fast Six in qualifying and ran over an air hose as he left pit road early in the race. But he came back to finish fifth, and the Arrow McLaren driver felt that made the result a good one, considering the car was not totally to his liking.

4. Kyle Kirkwood (Last Week: 3)

Kirkwood was in a spirited battle for second and wound up fourth, as he had used up his tires and was just hanging on at the end. But it was a good day overall for the Andretti driver.

3. Christian Lundgaard (Last Week: 4)

A podium finish for Lundgaard shows that he has the strength he had last year when he had six podiums (but no wins). A solid start for the Arrow McLaren driver.

2. Scott McLaughlin (Last Week: 8)

Being on the pole and finishing second can be a little frustrating. But Scott McLaughlin knows that if he has more cars and speed like that, he will win some races this year for Team Penske.

1. Alex Palou (Last Week: 1)

Palou doesn’t stop winning, as the Ganassi driver repeated as the victor at St. Pete and earned his ninth win in the last 18 races.